Notary Vocabulary

Question 1

Credible Indentifying Witness

Answer 1

Individual who personally knows a document signer, swears to or affirms the identity of the signer, signs in the Notary’s journal, and presents the Notary with a state-approved ID.

Question 2

Depose

Answer 2

To make a deposition; to testify under oath or affirmation orally or in writing.

Question 3

Execute

Answer 3

To comply with legal formalities in order to render (a deed, etc.) effective, as by signing your signature.

Question 4

Fraud

Answer 4

Deception aimed at causing a person unknowingly to surrender money, property, rights or advantages without a compensation; cheating.

Question 5

Affiant

Answer 5

Signer of an affidavit; taker of an oath or affirmation.

Question 6

Oath

Answer 6

Spoken, solemn promise to a Supreme Being that is made before a Notary in relation to a jurat or as a notorial act in its own right.

Question 7

Negligence

Answer 7

Failure to use a degree of care that is expected of a person of ordinary prudence and intelligence.

Question 8

Misconduct

Answer 8

Performing a prohibited action or failing to perform a required action.

Question 9

Personal Appearance

Answer 9

Appearing face to face and in the same room with a Notary at the time of notarization.

Question 10

Positive Identification

Answer 10

Determining who a person is without a reasonable doubt or suspicion.

Question 11

Principal

Answer 11

Person who is a signer of and party to a document.

Question 12

Public Protection Liability Requirement

Answer 12

A reference to the required $15,000 surety bond which provides protection for the public against damages caused by the Notary misconduct.

Question 13

Immigration Consutltant

Answer 13

A non-attorney who is qualified to provide non-legal immigration services.

Question 14

Reasonable Care

Answer 14

Degree of attentiveness and precaution that would be expected of a person of ordinary prudence and intelligence.

Question 15

Willful

Answer 15

A voluntary, intentional or deliberate violation of known duty.

Question 16

Willingness

Answer 16

State of acting without duress or undue influence; state of acting voluntarily.

Question 17

Vital Record

Answer 17

Birth certificate, death certificate, marriage license or other public record of demographic data.

Question 18

Venue

Answer 18

Location (State and County) where a notarization is performed, as indicated at the top of most Notary certificates.

Question 19

Representative Capacity

Answer 19

Status of signing or acting on behalf of another person or on behalf of a legal entity such as a corporation, partnership or trust.

Question 20

Satisfactory Evidence

Answer 20

Absence of any suspicious circumstances surrounding the identity of a signer, plus evidence in one of the following forms:
Reliable state-approved identification documents or the sworn or affirmed word of one or two credible identifying witnesses that an individual has the identity claimed.

Question 21

Signature by Mark

Answer 21

An “x” or other symbol made in place of a signature by a person unable to write which is witnesses by two other persons in order for the mark to be notarized.

Question 22

Personal Knowledge

Answer 22

Familiarity with an individual resulting from interactions over a period of time sufficient to eliminate every reasonable doubt that the individual has the identity claimed. Personal knowledge is not an option for California Notaries to use to identify a signer.

Question 23

Jurat

Answer 23

Notaries act in which a Notary certifies that the signer personally appeared before the Notary, and that the Notary watched the signing of the document, positively identified the signer and administered an oath or affirmation in which the signer declares the document to be truthful and accurate.

Question 24

Impartial Witness

Answer 24

An individual with no direct financial or beneficial interest on a transaction.

Question 25

Instrument

Answer 25

A formal legal writing a document.

Question 26

Limited Fund

Answer 26

Reference to the limited $15,000 surety bond for claims against a Notary.

Question 27

Liability

Answer 27

Responsibility for damages caused by misconduct.